Screening of Joachim Prinz Film @ Temple B’nai Abraham

On Sunday, October 11, at 7:00 PM, Temple B’nai Abraham, in conjunction with The Community Relations Committee (CRC) of MetroWest  and The Oranges and Maplewood Unit of the NAACP, will sponsor the screening of Joachim Prinz, I Shall Not Be Silent, at the temple, 300 E Northfield Road, Livingston.  This remarkable documentary, an RSquared Production, directed by Rachel Eskin Fisher and Rachel Nierenberg Pasternak with Andre Braugher,  captures the life and times of Rabbi Joachim Prinz of Newark. The stark evil and legacies of the Holocaust, the presence of racial injustice on American soil, and the friendship of Rabbi Prinz and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. are brought to light in this poignant film on a great American clergyman.

In Berlin in the 1930’s, the civil rights of Jews were systematically stripped away. A young rabbi refused to be silent. His name was Joachim Prinz and he set out to restore the self-esteem of the German Jews. Knowing the Nazis were monitoring his every word, and despite repeated arrests, Prinz continued to preach about the value of Judaism. He saved many lives by encouraging Jews to emigrate from Germany.

Expelled from Germany in 1937, Prinz arrived in the United States, the land where democracy had supposedly triumphed over bigotry and hatred. Here, he witnessed racism against African Americans and realized the American ideal was not a reality.

As rabbi of Temple B’nai Abraham in Newark, NJ and later as President of the American Jewish Congress, Prinz became a leader of the civil rights movement. Prinz worked to organize the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, declaring, “bigotry and hatred are not the most urgent problem. The most urgent, the most disgraceful, the most shameful and the most tragic problem is silence.” Moments later, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech.

Throughout his career, Prinz spoke out for justice, unconcerned with the popularity of his positions. He identified with the prophets, writing in a 1975 letter, “Remember the Biblical adage, ‘For the sake of Zion, I shall not be silent.”

Following the screening, there will be a discussion led by Senator Cory Booker and Rabbi Clifford Kulwin. This event is free and open to the community. Registration is requested. Register online at or call 973.994.2290. For details, visit www.tbanj.org .